November 2004 Archives

I read to grades 3 - 6 at Ormsby School this afternoon, and what a blast it was. I hadn't read to grades 3 & 4 for a while, and I had forgotten how much energy the kids have. The reactions were great and the questions were funny and kept me on my toes. Everyone seemed to have their own story to tell about having their mouth washed out with soap, and very few of them had hear of the "pirate ship" joke before. I have a feeling parents are going to be scratching their heads tonight. Ooops.

The second group were grades five and six, and they were totally awesome. They really got into the story, and they gave me some great feedback on the sequel title. I think I'm leaning more to Graffiti Ghouls. The great thing about the second session was that I carted out a story about getting an afro. I had that one parked for some time, and it was nice to be able to tell it. One small flub on my part. Someone asked me if I was related to Jackie Chan. My answer is always "yes," followed by a loud "no." Today, I forgot the "no" part. So if there are Ormsby students thinking that I am related to Jackie Chan, no I'm not.

Anyway, the sessions were a total blast and the principal was awesome. I had a wonderful time. I hope the students enjoyed it too.

I've been in a bit of a writing slump lately. I'm cranking out about 10 pages per week on the book, but I really should be more around 30 pages. I'm pretty sure that the break in the middle has wiped out the spark, but I have to slog through this draft. I need to see the first draft completed before I can figure out what works and what doesn't. So this week becomes a mad dash to finish out the book. I'm at 75 pages right now and have another 40 - 45 pages to go.

I'm trying something new to break up the routine. Instead of chaining myself to the computer to crank out 5 pages a day, I'm going to break up the page count and do one page per sitting. For example, I get up and I'll write a page. Then I'll head to the gym. When I come back, I'll write another page. Then I'll have lunch and write another page. As long as I think about the book in one page segments, I should be able to blip through it quickly. Then I can start dissecting the manuscript and figuring out what it needs.

Okay, off to write my one page.

My composer, Bob, and I got together this week to finish out the last two songs for the show. While we had good intentions, we ended up getting about three-quarters of one song written and one verse of the other. It was a tough slog, because we had shelved the project while I went to NYC, and left the two hardest songs for the end. These two pieces are supposed to be the closest to Peking Opera, which we're both still scrambling to get a handle on. Plus, the songs have to cover some political commentary ground. It's an ambitious undertaking this play, but we're determined to wrestle it to the ground. There's a workshop of the play in December, so we're going to see how this thing flies with the new music and songs.

Last night, I saw a show called Primordial Blues. It was an aerial spectacle performed by John Ullyat and Annie Dugan. The two performers soared over the stage on a trapeze, a floating hula hoop, and ropes, while a surreal soundtrack underscored their flights. I loved the show. It was above and beyond the ordinary--outrageous, daring, and physically draining. I felt like I was back in NYC watching Symphonie Fantastique or Slava's Snowshow, wondering just what else the performers were going to pull out of their bag of tricks. Totally cool.

The show runs a little over an hour and for good reason. Go see it an you'll see for yourself why they can't go any longer. Or better yet, try to hang from a chin-up bar for as long as you can and then you'll appreciate what kind of training these two must have done to get ready for the show. Primordial Blues is a total spectacle, and well worth seeing. It's running at La Cite Francophone. I'd highly recommend it.

Do you ever notice that good or bad news always comes in bundles of three? Sometimes, I think my entire career is based on a cycle of three. Recently, I was hit three positive omens - won a prize in the Alberta Anthology writing competition; picked up the Performance Award from Salute to Excellence; and had a great Off Broadway run of Mom, Dad, I'm Living with a White Girl. Over the last two weeks, however, I've been dealt a rejection from a grant agency, a lost business contract, and rejection for a humour column. I'm not sure if things happen to me in threes or if I just slot them into a pattern of three. I'll have to pay closer attention to my failures and successes.

I feel like I'm on a roll with the sequel to the Mystery of the Frozen Brains. Yesterday, I began to deviate from my outline as I found that the characters were dictating what the story should be. The big breakthrough is Trina joining the two boys as they investigate the graffiti. Originally, I had her arbitrarily join the team, but now I'm finding a way that she can become involved that seems to make sense, and creates friction between the guys. The only riddle I haven't completely solved is why she wants to solve the mystery of the graffiti. I'm going to figure that out today and try to hammer out another five pages of the manuscript. I should be on line to have a first draft complete by the end of the first week in December. After that, I'll be contacting a few schools to test drive the first chapter.

I wish I could get cracking on the manuscript right now, but another project has to take my attention this morning. It's the return of the Forbidden Phoenix, the Peking Opera/western theatre hybrid. I'm getting together with my composer Bob to finish out the last two songs. I'll work on the book this afternoon.

Well, the provincial election has come and gone, and Premier Ralph Klein has been chastened by the poll results. While the PCs still hold a majority government that is enviable by anyone's standards, they did lose their stranglehold on Edmonton ridings. All but 2 Conservatives were defeated by Liberal or NDP. In fact, both opposition parties doubled their ranks.

While there is a naive side of me that says the Premier's humbled acceptance speech last night was an indication that Edmonton voters had slapped him on the wrist for his arrogance and cavalier attitude to the capital city, I know what really rocked him back on his heels - the loss of 3 PC ridings in his home town of Calgary. He expected 2 ridings to go Liberal, but he was surprised when Calgary Varsity voted a Liberal over the PC incumbent. I think that was the message that he heard. The bellowing from Edmonton never seems to faze him, because he enjoys a power base in Calgary and rural ridings.

Whatever way he was humbled is a matter for political historians to sort out; all I care is that Klein was humbled. Now I hope that the PC party can actually try to be a government instead of a monarchy. While they hold all the cards for the next four years, all their decisions are going to have a direct impact on what happens to them in the following 4 years. I'm certain that this election taught them they can and will be held accountable for their words and deeds.

Plateau and backslide are the two terms I dread. I hit a plateau in weight loss this week. I'm hovering at 182 pounds, despite increased activity and reduced intake. I have to admit I was disappointed in myself, which led to the backslide. On Saturday night, instead of sticking to my DASH diet, I broke ranks and ordered a lasagne from my favourite restaurant. Oh, it was cheesy and salty and so bad for me, but it tasted so good. I compensated by having a salad with the meal, but I devoured the meal in 2 minutes. For dessert, I had a healthy heaping of guilt. I've been beating myself up ever since Saturday for my momentary weakness.

I'm not going to cave any more (not to the lasagna), but to the guilt. If I oppress myself, then the times I order out are going to seem freeing. It's like when my parents set a curfew. I never felt more independent and free than when I broke curfew. I can't divide foods into good and bad categories, or else I'll give foods like potato chips an allure and desire that they don't deserve. I'd rather consider all foods equal, and give myself the power to choose what I want to eat. If I'm going to eat lasagne from a pizza place, that's about two servings of meat, a couple of servings of grains, and about 3 servings of cheese. From there, I can adjust my other meals accordingly. I'm not saying that take-out restaurant food becomes a part of my regular diet; I'm just saying that if it does, then I have to incorporate it on that day.

I guess what I'm saying is that life happens. There will be days when I just want to eat something like pizza or fried chicken. If I allow myself those occasions once in a while, then I'll be less likely to backslide completely and go on a binge eating spree. To be honest, the meal I had the next night tasted fresher and better than the cheesy lasagne, which really only tasted like cheese. If I'm talking about choices, then I choose to eat the foods that taste good. Over the last four weeks, I would have to say that the foods that have tasted great are the ones that are healthy for me. It also helps that I have the fear of high blood pressure always at the back of my mind, so anything that tastes like salt brings me back to the day I was in the doctor's office, and my physician's eyebrows furrowed with deep concern as he read my blood pressure. When you see a doctor make that face, you don't forget it easily.

The danger of junk food isn't the food itself; it's the aftermath of guilt and desire. Take away the guilt and the desire should also go away. That's my theory today. If I balloon up to 250 pounds on a daily diet of pizza and lasagne, then I'll know the theory doesn't hold water.

Yesterday, I walked through the river valley to the downtown core to explore the Edmonton Art Gallery. The walk was serene, but eerily quiet, compared to the hustle and bustle of NYC. Still, nothing can compare to Edmonton's river valley.

At the Edmonton Art Gallery, I headed straight to the Protean Picasso exhibit. About 80 drawings and prints were on display. Very cool work. I had been reading a bit about Picasso in the last week, and was quite taken by how his style changed throughout his life and career. There were a couple of his Cubist etchings, but most of the artwork was representational. I was really impressed with the Frugal Meal, the Weeping Woman, and several of the Minotaur etchings. At first, I thought all the prints were drawn, but then I learned about the etching process, which is essentially a transfer process in which a plate is etched with the artwork and several copies or editions are made. Very cool. The exhibit was small, but a great sampler for Picasso. I think the exhibit runs until January. The gallery itself is a bit of an eyesore; it really needs serious renovation, but if you can get over the building, the artwork within is worth catching.

Speaking of eyesores, I got the first real look at the re-vamped Churchill Square. Edmonton's mayor urged city council to give the downtown grassy square a new look. Apparently, the new look mean to pave everything over and turn a perfectly welcoming and friendly square into the set for Logan's Run. The Square is the city equivalent of bell bottoms - something that is destined to be dated and stale in a couple of years. I viewed the Square from every side, and only one side offered a decent view... the one which faced city hall. I guess the ex-mayor (thank goodness) wanted everyone to see the magnificence of the municipal building. The city hall building rises up like a Wal-mart version of the pyramids. It's all pretty tacky and ugly.

Thankfully, I ended the day by walking back home through the beautiful river valley. Nature always seems to get it right; why can't city planners?

I have a terrible problem. I can't stop checking for e-mail. I'm literally checking every 15 minutes (okay, more like every 5 minutes if I'm going to be totally honest). I have dial-up still (I couldn't afford to switch over), so I tie up my phone line constantly. Fortunately, no one ever calls me, because I've told them to e-mail me. I've got to find a way to break this habit, because it's taking away from the time that I'm using to write. Is there a patch for those addicted to e-mail?

Great news. I just received news that I'm going to receive a Performance Award for the City of Edmonton. The award is intended to go to people who have achieved recognition nationally or internationally for their accomplishments. I'm guessing that the Off Broadway run of "Mom, Dad, I'm Living with a White Girl" put me into this category. The ceremony is to be held at City Hall on Tuesday, November 30 at 7:30 pm. I'm pretty darned excited about this, especially since I didn't expect this award. Sometimes, it's just nice to get pat on the back.

I've been having trouble getting into the sequel to The Mystery of the Frozen Brains. In particular, chapter eight seemed to just wind down and leave me nowhere to go. It's a bit frustrating, considering I'm halfway through the manuscript and I want to kick things into high gear. I'm not sure what the problem is. I think I have to go back to the outline and take a closer look at what I had planned out. I feared that going to New York in mid-writing would douse the spark. Now I have to figure out how to re-light my passion for the book. Back to the salt mine.

Today, I read for two grade seven groups at Rosslyn Jr. High. Both groups of students were fabulous. The first was energetic and full of questions. I even got the usual "Are you related to Jackie Chan?" one. I hadn't gotten that question for a few sessions, and was wondering if Jackie Chan had fallen off the map. Anyway, the kids in the first session were great.

The second group were also fantastic. A small group came in with tin foil hats (a reference to the book where the heros where tin foil to prevent their minds from being read). They even had a hat for me. This group was very attentive, and I decided to preview the first chapter of the follow up book on them. The reactions were pretty good. I've found a few spots where I have to do some tweaking and revising. I also have to build my confidence in the first chapter, which is all about shopping for pants with my mom. I've told the real life story hundreds of times and developed a sense of timing for it. I have to find the same sense of timing when I read the chapter. It'll take a few more tries before I'm totally comfortable with the first chapter, but I think I have a good start. There were a couple of big laughs. Unfortunately, my head was down most of the time, because I didn't want to lose my place in the page, so I couldn't see if the students were following along. Once I'm more comfortable reading, I'll be able to look up and scope out the reactions.

Ever since my trip, New York has been getting under my skin like an addiction. I can't wait for my next fix. I've been craving the Big Apple for a week, but I'm broke and can't afford a return trip for some time. Instead, I decided to create a little New York moment in Edmonton. My sister-in-law had sent me a recipe for Sour Cream Apple Walnut Pie, my dessert of choice in New York. I rolled up my sleeves to bake my own version of this Manhattan delight. The result was delicious. I won't pretend it was even close to the original pie, but it was pretty darn close. One bite of the brown sugar and walnut topping took me right back to Grand Central Station's lower level food fair and comfy leather arm chairs. The tart taste of the sour cream and apple mixture sent me back to a warm autumn day when Michelle and I planned to walk from Grand Central Station to Times Square to find tickets for Reckless. The slice of pie was like my New York experience... both were over far too soon.

During this provincial election, I've decided to vote with my heart instead of my head, and support the local NDP candidate. Last time out, I hoped the Liberals would gain seats and position themselves as a viable opposition party. The ended up losing seats, so now I'm revealing my true NDP colours. In fact, my support even went to allowing a candidate to post signs on my front lawn. The signs are pretty visible from the street, even more so from the sidewalk.

But do you think the NDP signs would stop the Progressive Conservative candidate from coming up to my door to canvas for my vote? How dumb does a politician have to be to think that he's got a shot of converting someone who's already expressed his political views by posting signs on his lawn? The reverse Darwinism award goes to this PC candidate (who shall remain nameless).

Anyway, it gave me a chuckle at the end of the week.

I'm back on track with the second novel. I finished about 6 pages of revisions yesterday, and I'm hoping to revised another 6 - 10 pages today. The pace is painfully slow for revisions, but I figure the work I do now will save me work later. Plus, I'll build enough momentum to generate new pages by the end of the week. My schedule to revise Count of Monte Cristo has been pushed back to the end of the November, so I've got time to burn. I'm starting to have a lot of fun with Graffiti Ghouls. My only problem is to trim away the stuff that distracts from the main thruline of the plot.

Last night, I saw Shirley Valentine which starred the charming and affable Nicola Cavendish. According to the press, she's performed this role over 500 times during a 14 year span. Well, the mileage has only given her depth and grace. Before I continue raving about the show, I should say that I don't know Ms. Cavendish, so this opinion is unbiased. Her performance was brilliant. While the script seemed to wear its years and felt a little dated, Ms. Cavendish was fresh and vibrant. She earned her standing ovation at the end of the night, captivating the audience for 2 hours in this one-woman show. I generally judge a show by the number of times I check my watch. I only checked twice and the first time didn't count because it was during an exceptionally long set change very near the end of the first act.

My wife Michelle and I lingered after the show at the opening night reception. The buzz around the patrons seemed very positive. I'm curious to talk to a friend who had seen Ms. Cavendish perform the same play 12 years earlier. I wonder if she noticed any differences. Anyway, this was a great first play to see after coming back from NYC.

Now that I'm back in Edmonton, the pace of my life seems to have slowed to a crawl. NYC had so many great things to do. Edmonton does too; it's just spread out a little more. Today, I walked back from a meeting downtown and watched the last leaves fall off the trees in the river valley. Tonight, I'm heading to the opening of Shirley Valentine at the Citadel. Okay, okay, so it's no Central Park and Avenue Q, but it's still better than sitting at home and watching Seinfeld reruns... I think I'll save that for tomorrow night.

Anyway, the extra time has been good for writing. Yesterday, I got back to work on the sequel to Mystery of the Frozen Brains. I'm still planning to have the first draft done by the end of November. Right now, I'm revising the first 45 pages to give me enough momentum to finish the rest of the manuscript. There might be a little hiccup in my plans as I might have to do a rewrite on the Count of Monte Cristo play. I should have enough time to do it all, as long as I don't squander the hours away playing PS2.

Later.

Four more years of George Bush? I'm in my old Theatresports T-shirt and flannel pajama pants, curled up under a down quilt, having a bad nightmare. Generally, I'm not that interested in American politics, but the insanity of Iraq and the global fall-out has forced me to turn an eye to our southern neighbours. Apparently, the Americans have sent a message to the world. I only hope that there still is a world in four years.

I know that comment was a bit extreme, but I thought it fit the tone of this presidential race, where people had to "Vote or Die" or "Remember 9/11". In a way, I appreciate the U.S. politics, because it seems that people and politicians truly care. I wonder if our provincial election in Alberta can take a cue from this presidential race and inject some passion in their politics. I've noticed that the Premier has taken a low-key stance in which he runs on what he's done as opposed to what he will do. If he gets in again, then Albertans will also be sending a message. All I hope is that all the parties present their platforms clearly, succinctly, and without pandering, so that we know what message is being sent in the end.

In the meantime, someone please wake me up!

I received welcome news in the form of a letter from my sister-in-law. She saw my New York blogs and how I craved sour cream apple walnut pie, and sent me a recipe for a sour cream apple pie. All I have to do is add the walnuts. Yay! Today, I'm back into writing mode. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish my second novel by the end of the month.